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Published on: February 21, 2018
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Preliminary report: neural firing patterns specific for Meniere's disease
Brian Blakley1, Zeinab A Dastgheib2, Brian Lithgow3
1Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, University of Manitoba, GB421 - 820 Sherbrook Street, Winnipeg, Manitoba R3A 1R9 Canada.
Summary
Electrovestibulography (EVestG) shows promise for diagnosing Meniere's disease objectively. This new test correctly identified most Meniere's patients and controls, suggesting its potential in clinical settings.
Area of Science:
- Biomedical Engineering
- Neuroscience
- Otolaryngology
Background:
- Electrovestibulography (EVestG) is a novel test designed to detect neural firing patterns indicative of neurological disorders.
- Previous EVestG training established its ability to differentiate Meniere's disease from other conditions using a training dataset.
- This study applies the trained EVestG system to a new cohort of undiagnosed subjects to assess its diagnostic utility.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of a new objective test, Electrovestibulography (EVestG), for Meniere's disease.
- To determine if EVestG can identify specific neural firing patterns associated with Meniere's disease in a clinical setting.
- To compare the objective EVestG diagnoses with established clinical diagnoses in a group of patients with vestibular disorders.
Main Methods:
- A prospective, blinded human clinical trial was conducted at a Collaborative Academic Bioengineering Research Centre.
- Two hundred fifty-six patients undergoing electronystagmography were invited for EVestG testing; complete data were obtained from nine patients with Meniere's disease or other vestibular disorders, plus ten healthy controls.
- EVestG was performed by blinded investigators, and Meniere's disease was diagnosed if the test suggested a probability of 0.5 or greater.
Main Results:
- EVestG correctly identified 75% of Meniere's disease patients (3/4) and correctly excluded 90% of controls (9/10).
- The test showed a sensitivity of 75% and a specificity of 80%.
- EVestG results were statistically significantly different between Meniere's patients and other dizzy patients/controls (p=0.0340), despite the small sample size.
Conclusions:
- The EVestG protocol demonstrates potential as an objective diagnostic tool for Meniere's disease.
- Further research with larger sample sizes is necessary to generalize these findings.
- EVestG may offer a valuable, objective method for diagnosing Meniere's disease in the future.
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